Buried deep in Pitchfork's story of the Decemberists bid for mainstream success with Capitol Records is this extremely exciting news:

Meloy and Decemberists drummer John Moen also appear on the forthcoming self-titled Minus Five album, due February 7 on Yep Roc. Meloy sings on the song "Cemetery Row". "I've been a Young Fresh Fellows fan from eons ago," Meloy said, referring to Minus Five leader Scott McCaughey's former band. "It was really exciting to meet him. Right before we left on this last tour, I just went over to Scott's house, sat in his living room and recorded the song.

It is very possible that the Minus 5 are my favorite band.

And while I'm posting, here's an extremely twenty-first century moment as reported in the New York Times:

An insurgent group, the Victorious Army Group, has extended a deadline for a Web design contest, according to an Internet posting. The group has set a Jan. 15 deadline for submissions of a design "worthy of the group's reputation and the reputation of the jihad and the mujahedeen," according to a translation provided by the SITE Institute, which monitors jihadist messages.

The winner is promised "God's blessings" and the opportunity to fire three long-range rockets at an American military base.